The Claim Against the “Enemy Alien” Status of Koreans in Wartime Hawai’i: Redefining “Korean” and Reconstructing Nationalism

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  • ハワイ戒厳令下のコリアン移民のナショナリズム――「敵性外国人」から「友好的外国人」への語りの形成――
  • ハワイ カイゲンレイカ ノ コリアン イミン ノ ナショナリズム テキセイ ガイコクジン カラ ユウコウテキ ガイコクジン エノ カタリ ノ ケイセイ

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Abstract

<p>Ethnic categories are taken for granted for most Asian immigrants in the US, but it was not the case for the Koreans in Wartime Hawai’i. Under the Martial Law (1941-1944), Koreans in Hawai’i were classified as “Japanese subject,” and as a result they were categorized as “Enemy Aliens.”</p><p>Studies on Korean immigrants during WWII have developed recently, while the experiences of Japanese immigrants have been widely-studied. However, the studies on Korean immigrants tend to consider the “Korean” category as a given fact vis-á-vis as a category that is reconstructed at the eve of the Pacific War: Koreans protested the military government to recognize their category as a unique and independent one that is different from “Japanese.” Therefore, this article will first question the process in which Koreans justified their category, and then discuss what this case represents in relation to nationalism of the Korean immigrants during WWII.</p><p>After the outbreak of the war, Koreans tried to repeal their “Enemy Alien” status by differentiating themselves from the Japanese in two ways. First, by stressing their homeland nationalism, Koreans explained fhcir uniqueness by comparing dapanese history, culture, race and national identity and emphasized their difference. Second, by stressing their community history, Koreans emphasized their political protest that have resisted against the Japanese colonial power for the past three decades in Hawai’i.</p><p>Military government, however, did not take this into account, but rather questioned the loyalty of Koreans towards the US government. In spite of the concerns among Koreans on their “Enemy Alien” status and their classification as a “Japanese subject,” military government expected Koreans to stress their war effort as a loyal citizen of the US. In addition, under the supervision of the Morale Section of the military government, Koreans were expected to speak about their contribution to the “unity” of Hawaii’s multicultural society, not about their “Enemy Alien” status.</p><p>Then in 1943, the “Enemy Alien” status of Koreans was questioned once again. Syong Woon Sohn, a Korean immigrant who went in trial for curfew violation argued that he is not an “Enemy Alien,” therefore should not be punished as an “Enemy Alien.” The military government rejected his argument, while local newspapers supported Sohn’s claim and addressed to the Hawaiian Community that the categorization of Koreans as an “Enemy Alien” is unconstitutional and Koreans should be justified as a “Friendly Alien” rather than an “Enemy Alien.” This argument eventually changed the Korean status when Martial Law ended in 1944. Under the new security order, it became clean that in the definition of the “Enemy Alien” Koreans are not Japanese.</p><p>In sum, the claim against the “Enemy Alien” status of Koreans represents a case where ethnic categories are reconstructed when nationalism of the immigrants is reframed, and questions the Korean American Studies that tend to take for granted the “Korean” category.</p>

Journal

  • The American Review

    The American Review 42 (0), 137-154, 2008-03-25

    The Japanese Association for American Studies

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